I wanted to like this book a little more than I did. I would definitely classify this in the "it was okay" category. From start to finish I just had to keep pushing through chapter after chapter never really having a strong urge to keep reading. While I definitely can relate to both Vanessa and Khalil's personality, I found that they were both really unsure of themselves and just had no confidence whatsoever in the first 1/3rd of the book. And I know that this book is about Khalil "getting his game back" but I like to at least read one character that has some sense of confidence. I also found the POV a little confusing. Now moving on to the aspects of the book that I did like. Khalil has AMAZING qualities, he's attentive, caring, and extremely considerate (I mean the club scene with the massage... yes please). Vanessa is super accommodating, caring, and friendly. And when their relationship was good, they were literally adorable together. I love that Vanessa didn't give up on Khalil and researched ways to help him. I just didn't really love this one. It could just be the genre, I was going into this book thinking it was going to be a romcom type of novel, but this is more of a drama romance book. I probably wouldn't recommend this whenever someone asks for a book rec, but I definitely wouldn't say not to read it, I just think there are better ones out there.

This novel is so important and brings real issues to the table while also telling the beautiful story between Vanessa and Khalil! The topics Cadenet discussed and introduces were handles in such a delicate way really showing the impact every situation has on the characters. An incredible debut novel by Gia De Cadenet! Cannot wait to see what she does next!

Special thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Dell for gifting me this advanced reader copy from their wishlist!

Getting His Game Back by Gia De Cadenet was a great read! The book showcased many issues in the Black community that are not talked about, especially within interracial relationships.

This book honestly looked at many issues such as mental health (for black and brown communities), positive communication between men and women, discrimination in the work place and the reality of interracial dating. While this seems like a lot to tackle the author was able to introduce these issues and blend them with ease into an honest romance/relationship. Although there were times when the book seemed to move along without conflict or action it is well written.

There is a lot to like about this book. Khalil Sarda is a wonderfully written character who is vulnerable and goes to therapy. Vanessa Noble exemplifies a strong woman. I appreciated the communication that the two had. I love when characters talk about issues! I also loved the therapy. It was written so well. The story took a while to get get going and the dialog sometimes felt choppy and overly wordy. If the story was cut by 30% I would have probably enjoyed it more. The topics covered in the story are big hitters with racism in and out of the work place, mental health, spousal abuse, and interracial relationships. While these issues define our characters, I felt overwhelmed by all the experiences.

That said, I ultimately enjoyed the story of these two. Thank you Netgalley for the arc. This is my honest review.

Kahlil and Vanessa’s story was a very beautiful and inspiring read! From start to finish I was invested in their story not just as a couple but as individuals as well!

Gia De Cadenet spent a great deal of time allowing us to get to know Vanessa and Kahlil as individuals! We got to know them on a deeper level! Though we don’t know Kahlil’s full struggles till more towards the end we know he is having issues and you can’t help but sympathize with him! Both of these riveting characters come from different walks of life but they have so much in common! They are hard workers and are full of love and dedicated to their families! They face challenges but together they work as a team!

This book takes a deeper look at interracial couples and the hardships they face! It really dives in and what I really loved was the hard questions the characters asked! They really talked about their feelings and experiences! This book also takes a look at mental health and I really would have loved more on this area but overall I feel the author did a beautiful job at how she presented it and it felt real!

A first read of mine by this author and I can’t wait to see what comes next because I enjoyed her characters and writing style!

This is a romance novel that tackles real and serious issues - race, interracial couples, mental health, etc. Overall I enjoyed the characters and the story and the delicacy with which it handled all the obstacles the characters faced in realizing their love for one another.

3.75 Stars
This one was super cute! It did a great job bringing awareness to heavy topics such as anxiety, depression, racism, therapy, and interracial relationships. The way the characters communicated was super realistic too. For example, Khalil being so nervous around Vanessa and stumbling over his words was so adorable. Khalil was such a strong Hero as well. He had such a love for not only his friends and family but Vanessas and was such a gentleman to her. I also really appreciated how this book showed a male character portraying emotion and vulnerability.
The beginning portion was a bit slow, but after around the 20% mark I was hooked. I also wish we got another chapter to fully wrap things up. All in all, a super cute read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book.

This is an excellent debut novel from an author who deftly dealt with very heavy topics including depression, suicide, overall mental health, and interracial dating. As a white woman, the interracial storyline was eye-opening and well done. The depression storyline was well handled and is very important, but frankly was a bit too sad for me in a romance novel, but that might have just been my expectations. The characters were likeable and I always appreciate a woman in a STEM field. I will look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this book! This book addressed quite a few hard-hitting topics and wrapped it all up in such a cute love story. A major theme in this book was the interracial relationship between the characters and mental health. Personally, seeing mental health addressed in books is one of my favorite things because it is such an important thing. I loved Vanessa and Khalil’s story. I loved how headstrong she was, how dedicated to her career she was. I loved how grounded he was and how supportive he was. My absolute favorite thing was that this book straight up addressed the damaging impact of toxic masculinity on mental health, and we even see Khalil work on some of these thoughts. I do wish the book fleshed out his dealing with his issues more, but I do appreciate the author shining a light on some of these things.

actual rating: 2.5
wanna start by saying romance books aren't really my thing but the cover had a dark skin black woman and I'm a simple girl, I see black women and my interest is peaked. It was an ok read, I really enjoyed the characters, and the portrayal of depression MUAH chefs kiss. But the first half was super slow, the dialogue was at times very corny. yea, it wasn't for me but I would recommend if contemporary romances are really your vibe.

I love this book! This book is everything a Black-and-White romance lover would hope for! This book is amazing. The writing is great and sort of simple for me, which is bo problem at all. I love that this book brings a Black women and White male together, and the diversity is really amazing. We really need this kind of books (diversity) in this time. Both of the characters are so cute, and the chemistry is reallll! The aurhor is a talented author, and I'm looking forward to books written by this author. Simply put, I can't put this book down. Highly recommend for booklovers who loved Romance books with an addition of diversity and cute and lovable characters.

Vanessa comes in for a shape up and Khalil hopes for more. She is a tech genius and Khalil is an entrepreneur who happens to own three barbershops with his best friend Darius. The book is like a slow burn where we get to experience the akward stages of dating and figuring out will they end up together. Both Vanessa and Khalil have some major obstacles to face if they decide to make the relationship work.

This book touches dealing with a mental illness and being the other in the tech field. My only gaffe in the book is that the area of Michigan that they are in the author uses the wrong time zone. It is chapter fourteen first paragraph and they mention settling back into central time. Michigan for the most part is Eastern time zone.

Although I love anything that includes mental health being treated properly, this book wasn’t for me. I loved aspects of it (the interracial romance especially), I felt like it was a little slow for me overall.
All opinions expressed are my own, thank you to Netgalley for this arc ebook!

This was an excellent book! Gia De Cadenet is a great writer who seamlessly intertwines two perspectives into one story. I appreciated the interracial relationship and pointing out the struggles that can come from such a relationship. I also enjoyed that the story did not shy away from mental health and depression issues but embraced such issues. This book could be inspiring to anyone suffering from depression or mental health issues.

Reading this book truly showed me the reality of interracial dating. As a black woman I related to the challenges that the main character Vanessa faces with dating outside her race. It was interesting to see how the author developed Khalil's character and his awareness of himself. Having mental health representation in this book really sealed the deal for me. I love reading about men who are open about their mental health and how they reach out to get the help needed. I also love how Vanessa's character was portrayed. It is great to see a black woman who is successful. I did like how the author added in the harsh realities of the workplace as a black woman. I would definitely check tw's/cw's before reading this book. Overall this was such a good book for anyone looking for a new romance favorite. The only technical review I would give for the author is to not make the chapters too long in order to pack all of the story in. I would love to see the story spaced out more so you can really see the characters develop.

This slow burn romance begins with a chance meeting between Vanessa, the “App Goddess,” and Khalil, co-owner and founder of a small barber shop chain. The chemistry between the two is immediate and they agree to collaborate on an app for Khalil’s barbershops. It doesn’t take long for them to realize they have something special together.

This book was so much more than just a romance. The author did a wonderful job of tackling some important and heavy issues - interracial dating, fetishizing of black women, depression, and suicidal urges. When we first meet Khalil he is seemingly the perfect man. He ticks all of the boxes on Vanessa’s List of Requirements (1&2) and is a genuinely kind and loving man. Under the surface he is dealing with some pretty heavy issues and still reeling from his previous breakup. While the first half of the book focuses on Khalil getting his game back (both literally and figuratively), the second half of the book shows him struggling with his seasonal depression and working though his issues to become a better man for the people who love him.

It was very easy to root for this couple and I wanted them to succeed. I only wish we saw more of Vanessa’s side of the story - aside from a few meetings with her grandmother and outings with friends, we don’t see too much of her aside from her role in Khalil’s life. We don’t see much of her App Goddess greatness and it seems like that role is only there to add conflict to the story. It’s always a treat to read a book featuring a strong woman and I just wish we saw more of that outside of her relationship.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Penguin Random House Ballantine for the advance copy.

Mental health, interracial romance, sexual discrimination in the workplace, and spousal abuse are all subjects that are addressed in this book. One or two of these subjects would have made the book flow much smoother. Instead I found it choppy and at times overloading. It was hard to keep up with what was going on in the book because I had to go back to find out who characters were or what had transpired. It felt like the author purposefully made the book "wordier" in order to meet a certain word count. Many scenes seemed drawn out for no particular reason. I did not enjoy it at all. It could have been a much better book.

This is such an important book layered between a sweet romance. Great rep for depression, anxiety, and a Black female lead. I loved the way the author was able to handle serious topics within the romance as I prefer my novels with more meat than bones and this definitely delivered. I'm so happy that we are getting more disability rep and intersectional rep at that.

So many important topics in this one.

PLUS a great romance?!

Quite a few trigger warnings regarding mental health! (Depression, suicide, anxiety, etc.)